1850] THE WAY OF FAITH. 49 "I have regarded faith as some effort of mind." What intelligent penitent does not experience perplexity on the subject of faith? Very generally it arises from inattention to this fact, that the Almighty, in his wondrous goodness, has devised a method of salvation apprehensible to the most illiterate. "Look unto me, and be saved," is the exhortation of Holy Writ. Salvation is the divinely ordained result of looking to Christ. For the steadfast maintenance of this act great effort will generally be necessary, for one of these two reasons. His knowledge of the Divine purity necessarily directs the attention of an intelligent penitent to the magnitude of his guilt, and great effort is required to withdraw attention from himself, and fix it solely on the Saviour. He who is unassailed by this temptation, will often feel a solicitude to experience the results of faith, which may divert attention from its object. In no other respect is faith to be regarded as an effort. In conquering the rebellious will and softening the obdurate heart, the Holy Spirit has made the sinner a suitable recipient of God's mercy, and so far from that mercy being difficult of attainment, it is made attainable in the easiest possible method. The moment the good news of pardon through what Christ has done for me is welcomed-the moment that I accept him as my Saviour, the Divine Spirit sheds abroad the love of God within my heart, and attests my adoption into his family. It is a feeling natural to the penitent, that pardon for sin so great as his, cannot be expected without something great being done by him. Here is the glorious truth, however, which has simply to be believed by the truly contrite sinner in order to experience salvation. By sparing not his own Son, but delivering him up a sin-offering for us all, God has so effectually declared his abhorrence of transgression, and his determination to punish it, as to render it consistent with his holiness and justice to pardon all that truly repent. E As I gaze on that dying Saviour, I see, not only these glorious truths, but also the amazing love of God to man-to me; and contemplating this, the Holy Spirit makes it the instrument of my moral renovation-I become "lost in wonder, love, and praise." "A tendency was felt to expect salvation because she prayed for it." What penitent has not felt this? If, however, I am truly penitent, and wish to surrender to God my will, my affections, and every energy of my nature, this is his message to me : "To him that worketh not," that neither reads nor prays with a view to merit salvation, "but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Reader! thou hast no righteousness. Nothing thou canst do can procure thee any. In the exuberance of his goodness, God has provided it for thee in Christ Jesus, and "thy faith," if godly sorrow possess thy heart, "is counted to thee for righteousness." Miss Hessel's long spiritual pupilage is a suggestive fact for class leaders. The interchange of christian experience is calculated to yield immense benefit. The magnitude of the benefit, however, depends greatly upon the intelligence as well as piety of the leader. If mere stereotyped phrases are periodically re-produced, the profit will be meagre. The benefit of a mere emotional stimulation is questionable. But if, with such skill as a devout and diligent student of the Bible will assuredly acquire, and such fidelity and kindness as love to Christ inspires, the conscience is dealt with -aroused, or instructed as the case may require-the classmeeting becomes an invaluable auxiliary to the public means of grace. That it was not instrumental in conducting her to an earlier experience of the blessedness and "power of godliness" is to be regretted. Let it not be supposed, however, that she derived no benefit. It was with somewhat of reluctance she commenced; but her voluntary continuance for such a period, compels us to 1850] RELIGIOUS TRAINING. 51 regard her reluctance as originating chiefly in timidity. To feel that she was within the care of the Church, and to dread quenching the spirit of God, were surely no small benefits, were no others experienced, and these, she confesses, kept her there. The momentous fact here detailed was the consummation of her religious training. What an army of young recruits would every year be entering the service of our Saviour King, if domestic influences were spiritual! Does it not become the professedly religious parent of every unconverted child to ponder the inquiry : "Why is my child yet unconverted?" Parents! if your solicitude for Christ's honour and your children's highest welfare was what it ought to be, would not your children be converted? could they withstand the combined influences arising from your devout spirit and importunate prayers? Is it not because your spirit is not sufficiently devout that theirs is so worldly? Do we not behold in the character of our children, generally, the reflection of our own? Surely it becomes parents and pastors earnestly to inquire what is to be done to secure the young for Christ. Their claim on the attention of the church is, at the present day, urgent and imperative. To determine how far it may be prudent to urge young persons to unite themselves to a Christian church demands great wisdom. By no means should they be urged merely to gratify their friends. A complete revulsion against religion might be the result. To abandon them to their own promptings, however, is to deprive them of "the nurture" their Lord prescribes. The importance of an evangelical, faithful, earnest, and instructive ministry is inculcated by Miss Hessel's history. The truths she listened to from the pulpit are frequently adverted to, as having contributed to kindle and invigorate her noblest aspirations. CHAPTER IV. Spiritual Experience—Lessons learnt from viewing the Colosseum in London-Letter to her Brother on his Marriage-Visits BristolChatterton-Lines "on the Death of a Friend "-Young's Night Thoughts-Bazaar at Boston-Spa-Mrs. Stowe Intellectual Pride -Moral Evil-The importance of spending life well. RECENT converts commonly expect uninterrupted sunshine. No cloud of temptation is to darken it. There is no reason to believe that such were Miss Hessel's expectations, and there is ample evidence that her experiences were far otherwise. 'My new-born confidence was so vigorously assailed by the enemy of souls," she writes, on Sept. 24th, "that I have since wondered how I maintained it. But the trial of my faith was precious in his sight, whose strong arm sustained me; and I met every attack with: Thus saith the Lord.' And when almost overwhelmed by temptation, my soul said, I rest on the word of eternal truth, not on any amount of peace or joy I have or may have. God declares that I am saved through faith in the blood of the atonement. By two immutable things-his word and his oath—he hath confirmed that declaration; and I have ground, therefore, for strong consolation. I dare not make God a liar. I must believe his word. Thus hanging on the truth of the Gospel, I realized that peace which passeth understanding; that knowledge of salvation by the remission of sins which I feel to be the greatest blessing of my life. It was no overwhelming display to my soul; it was the gradual rising of the Sun of Righteousness on my darkened spirit. Many clouds flitted before the brightness of his shining, but hav 1850] "BERTIE'S MEMORIALS." 53 ing caught one beam from the centre of that glorious sun, my eye of faith was fixed there until the clouds dispersed and the shadows fled away; and my spiritual vision was strengthened to read, in characters of light upon every sunbeam, some precious promise of eternal truth. And that light, shedding its rays through my heart, revealed, written there by the finger of God: "Therefore, being justified by faith, I have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.' In a letter to Mr. Dunn, part of which was inserted in the preceding chapter, she says:-"I am very much pleased with 'Bertie's Memorials.' I wish we had more of that sanctified poetic talent which Mrs. Bradley so eminently possessed. We have had highly gifted women of great piety, but they have devoted their poetic talent to the mere theory of religion, so to speak. They have imbibed, perhaps, unconsciously, something of the great moralist's notion, that religion is not a subject suited to the muse. It is an utterly false one, and Milton stands pre-eminently first to challenge and refute it. Agnes Bulmer, in her 'Messiah's Kingdom,' has done the same, making the fall and the atonement the chief subjects of her sweet and often lofty song. But Mrs. Bradley, with less strength of mind and grasp of thought, has brought another order of talent into the service of her God, and one, which had it been unsanctified, would most probably have degenerated into a sickly sentimentality. I am very glad I met with the book. I know many would not quite approve, but I feel certain it is calculated to do very much good, not only on acconnt of the remarkable narrative it contains, but on account of the style in which it is written. I believe there are many pious young persons of the same order of mind as Mrs B., who, feeling their talents are not of the kind generally approved by matter-offact Christians, are therefore led to think there is no scope for their exercise in religious subjects. It is well for them |